On Oct. 13, RMU’s Top Secret Colonials kicked off their biannual “24 Hour Gaming Marathon” in Yorktown Hall. The event acts as a fundraiser for charities such as the Children’s Miracle Network and the Best of the Batch Foundation.

Participants at the event pay a required fee of $10 at the door or $5 for those that registered ahead of time. Once in, the attendees got access to everything the marathon had to offer, including a stable internet connection, tables and chairs. More than 150 attendees brought their own gaming systems or consoles to the event — settling in for a long day of gaming at the provided tables and outlets.

The “24 Hour Gaming Marathon” is again hosted by the Top Secret Colonials. For those not familiar with the organization, Evan Kinney, a junior and the club president, described it as a cyber security organization, which is dedicated to professional development in settings such as the workplace. This marathon is not the club’s only fundraiser, but it is one of the biggest.

“The 24 Hour Gaming Marathon is not only to give back to our members but to give back to the entire community using what we know and love,” Kinney said. “It’s interesting watching people interact, especially people that would never (normally) interact with each other.”

While the event is a bring-your-own-device one, participants could sign up for several different gaming tournaments spaced out over the course of the 24 hours, including favorites such as “Mario Party,” “Mario Kart,” “Quiplash” and “Super Smash Bros.”

Tournament attendees enjoyed the experience in their own unique ways. Adam Laslo, a sophomore at RMU, competed in the “Mario Kart” tournament, but even though he was quickly eliminated, he was still eager to continue contributing.

“I got knocked out early,” Laslo said. “So, I decided to be a commentator and make it a bit more entertaining for everybody.”

Attendance at the marathon varied throughout the day. As some attendees arrived later in the day, others left the event for much needed sleep during the late hours of the night. A sizable portion of the crowd, however, was determined to stick it out for the full 24 hours. Laslo was one of them.

“I plan on staying all 24 hours,” Laslo said.